About the CD:
Conversations is a celebration of nearly 25 years of collaboration with Joris Teepe and Don Braden. They met in 1992 at a session in New York, and quickly recognized the compatibility of their personalities and attitudes, as well as their musical tastes and goals.
The music in Conversations truly highlights the interactive aspects of how Teepe and Braden play jazz. Framed by rich and varied tunes, strong and supple grooves, and emotional expression, the improvisations are really a manifestation of exuberant adventure for them. They create, exchange, explore and develop all kinds of ideas – melodically, harmonically, rhythmically, dynamically and more, and they really have fun while doing so. The fact that there are just two or three of them on a given tune allows that much more opportunity for clarity of communication. You’ll hear it!
Check out the full liner note text here.
Below is some of the early press response to Conversations:
“...rich in dynamic interplay, spit-fire bop locutions and endless groove.”
"Teepe and Braden each have a deep understanding of the tradition, evident in their interplay, choice of repertoire, and technical showmanship... [they] bring new meaning to the idea of "talking a good game" with this album. It's a wonderful treat to be a fly on the wall during their conversations."
"Clearly sailing on the same waters, bassist Joris Teepe and saxophonist Don Braden ... converse with prodigious fluency and articulated precision."
"Fans of Don Braden will not want to miss this outstanding record. Bassists will be knocked backwards by Joris Teepe’s cogitations. Even more, those who have a fondness for the saxophone trio will instantly recognize that this is a hard-won achievement of master musicians."
"It takes sustained creativity and ingenuity to keep things interesting and musically provocative in a group absent of a chordal instrument, but these guys handily achieve those goals by way of high-octane playing and deft arrangements."